Most people have the dream of visiting the Hawaiian islands, and for a good reason! Hawai’i is awe-inspiring, extremely sacred and beautiful with wildly diverse landscapes: from beaches of all colors, desert landscapes, rolling hills, jaw-dropping cliff sides and pristine natural waterfalls. Plus it’s relatively easy to travel to which is why millions of people flock here each year. 

Sadly, many visitors of Hawai’i fail to consider the rich, deep Hawaiian culture and their impact on these islands. We have worked closely with the Hawai’i tourism board, local environmental activists and small business owners alike – they all have a similar lens: 





And so any efforts to bring people to the island do not revolve around increasing their numbers, but educating tourists to respect and learn about the culture and history, travel mindfully and sustainably as to leave the islands in the best condition and finally to spend their money where it counts: with local and Hawaiian owned businesses.

In appreciation of this, each of our island travel guides focus on supporting local businesses, honoring nature, enjoying responsible activities and celebrating Hawaiian culture.

I know it's easy to slip into 'vacation mode' and stop considering this place as someone else's home but we welcome you to enjoy your vacation while being conscious of your impact on this planet and the ecosystems here in Hawai’i nei! 

‘Kokua’ means to ‘care for’ or ‘help’. When you come to visit, please kokua the islands & care for them as if you lived here. Here are some things to keep in mind: 

Kokua The Islands

Hawai’i does not need more tourists. 
Millions visit every year. 
Hawaii needs better tourists. 

- Wear nothing but REEF SAFE sunscreen even if you’re not swimming in the ocean. The reefs in Hawai’i are dying rapidly and toxic, chemical sunscreen from booming tourism plays a HUGE role! 

- Don’t tag specific locations on social media! It’s one thing if the tag is a place of business or well known site like Volcano National Park but we have seen firsthand how social media tagging can very negatively affect a place. Over the past five years, almost every lesser known place within these islands is now overrun with tourists snapping selfies, totally unaware of the sacredness of the place, and is littered with trash. It’s heartbreaking & I can’t even imagine how those who have lived here for generations or a lifetime must feel. Be mindful of the ripple effects of your actions. Keep things under wraps and let those who appreciate and respect nature find it on their own!

- Bring reusable water bottles & USE THEM! 
Avoiding plastic water & soda bottles makes a HUGE impact!


- Bring reusable cloth bags for groceries. In Hawai’i plastic grocery bags have been banned & many stores will have you carry out your groceries if you don’t bring reusable!


- Don't leave your trash in nature – not on the beaches, on hikes, in parks, out your window or anywhere besides in recycling, composting or trash bins. 

WAYS To participate

Read these posts for more ideas:

Today, our oceans and marine life are facing the threat of permanent alteration from a number of sources of pollution, and plastic is among the most significant. Here in Hawai’i, plastic is just as common to see at the beach as seashells are. It’s more of an issue than an aesthetic disturbance; it’s choking the ecosystem of our oceans & once you start to understand this crisis, it’s absolutely mind blowing.


 
And plastic never truly disappears or breaks down, it breaks ‘up’ into microplastics that our planet cannot digest. 

32% of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced annually is left to flow into our oceans; the equivalent of pouring one garbage truck of plastic into the ocean every minute. Floating at sea, the UV radiation of the sun makes the plastic brittle. The plastic breaks up into smaller pieces from the friction of the waves. Then, the plastic breaks down into microplastic particles, which are fragments of plastic smaller than a grain of sand or the tip of a needle. Ocean currents sweep these microplastic particles all over our beaches here in Hawai'i, they are ingested by the mammals and fish that inhabit our oceans & in turn, are ingested by us. 

Nearly every species of marine life is contaminated by plastic (either digesting it or entanglement), from microscopic plankton to the largest mammals on earth, our beloved whales. Marine animals that become entangled in plastic may drown or starve. Plastic garbage resembles food for marine species. Turtles are known to mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. Sea birds selectively ingest specific colors of plastic, mistaking them for prey.



This is a global problem, we just have a front row seat here in Hawai’i. While you are here traveling, I hope that this place becomes as much of a teacher to you as it has been to us. We encourage you to be part of the solution, not the problem.  

Every piece of plastic that has ever been made still exists.

- Avoid single-use waste by bringing a metal straw, reusable coffee mug & reusable utensils. Bring anything you know you’ll be using a lot of & be sure to ask for no straw when out to eat/don't ask for to go boxes if you don't need to!

- Ask businesses about their sustainable business practices. Voice that you, as their ideal customer, would like to see them go plastic free!

- Recycle what you do use! Sadly, this year Hawai'i has stopped recycling plastics that are not "HI5" (read more here) BUT there was a huge gap in our plastic recycling infrastructure anyways, so relying on recycling isn’t the answer but if you do use items such as glass, metal or plastic PLEASE recycle properly. 

- Carry out trash/micro plastic (even if it’s not yours) from the beaches so it doesn’t blow into our oceans or get swept up in the currents … or JOIN IN ON A BEACH CLEAN UP!

LEARN MORE HERE

Today, our oceans and marine life are facing the threat of permanent alteration from a number of sources of pollution, and plastic is among the most significant. Here in Hawai’i, plastic is just as common to see at the beach as seashells are. It’s more of an issue than an aesthetic disturbance; it’s choking the ecosystem of our oceans & once you start to understand this crisis, it’s absolutely mind blowing.




 
And plastic never truly disappears or breaks down, it breaks ‘up’ into microplastics that our planet cannot digest. 

32% of the 78 million tons of plastic packaging produced annually is left to flow into our oceans; the equivalent of pouring one garbage truck of plastic into the ocean every minute. Floating at sea, the UV radiation of the sun makes the plastic brittle. The plastic breaks up into smaller pieces from the friction of the waves. Then, the plastic breaks down into microplastic particles, which are fragments of plastic smaller than a grain of sand or the tip of a needle. Ocean currents sweep these microplastic particles all over our beaches here in Hawai'i, they are ingested by the mammals and fish that inhabit our oceans & in turn, are ingested by us. 

Nearly every species of marine life is contaminated by plastic (either digesting it or entanglement), from microscopic plankton to the largest mammals on earth, our beloved whales. Marine animals that become entangled in plastic may drown or starve. Plastic garbage resembles food for marine species. Turtles are known to mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. Sea birds selectively ingest specific colors of plastic, mistaking them for prey.







This is a global problem, we just have a front row seat here in Hawai’i. While you are here traveling, I hope that this place becomes as much of a teacher to you as it has been to us. We encourage you to be part of the solution, not the problem.  

Each average American will throw away 185 pounds of plastic every year.

Plastic is found in the stomachs of 85% of turtle species, 43% of seabird species, and 44% of marine mammals.